Fractured reality and dream-like comics from Aidan Koch

Aidan Koch makes comics. Though, you won’t find any bold, black line work, gaudy speech bubbles or conventional superheroes here. This talented New York-based creative is known for her sophisticated, dream-like narratives, studying human interactions and small moments in delicate mediums.

Studying Aidan’s work and pinning her down is a tough job; is she an illustrator, a comic artist or a contemporary artist? We’re inclined to lean towards all three. After being showcased in highbrow institutes like MoMA and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, anyone saying these works are just comics can go dig a hole and lay in it.

Using fast, direct mediums like pencil, gouache and paper, Aidan Koch straddles a line between an abstract painterly aesthetic and meticulous pencil rendering. As well as comics, she dabbles in drawings, objects and installation as well as playing with silk, ceramics, cement, marble and bronze. Her sculptural and installation work has been shown in Antwerp, Paris, Austin and Brooklyn.

Aidan’s comics read like an intimate diary or fractured reality. Juxtaposing images in floating space tied together by spots of abstract colours and shapes pad out narratives. They may seem vague or half-finished at the very first glance, but once one starts reading the flashes of imagery marry and beautiful narratives are sewn together in a really natural, genius way. They’re mystic and abstract, a softer, whispering voice in the world of comics.